Essential facts about female bisexuality

Over the past three years, the number of young people identifying as bisexual in the UK has risen by 45%

By
Sally Turner

31/08/2017

Getty ImagesPekic

Over the past three years, the number of young people identifying as bisexual in the UK has risen by 45%; a population survey by the Office of National Statistics found that women were more likely to identify as bisexual (0.8%) than lesbian (0.7%), and that bisexuality is more prevalent among women than men.

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Other studies indicate that up to 16% of women have had a same-gender sexual experience, and The Bisexuality Report suggests that 'many more people have bisexual feelings than act bisexually and many more people act bisexually than identify as bisexual.'

Celebrities such as Cara Delevigne, Angelina Jolie, Anna Paquin and Amber Heard have spoken publicly about their sexual orientation which has raised positive awareness of female bisexuality as well as highlighting the misconceptions and backlash that bisexuals often face. We spoke to activist Libby Baxter-Williams, from Biscuit, a bi women's advocacy group, to separate fact from fiction:

Cara Delevigne has been open about her sexuality

Getty ImagesSamir Hussein

Pansexual, omnisexual, queer or bi?

With so many different terms in current usage to define sexual orientation, it is not always easy to navigate through the world of sexual identity.

Libby explains:

"The average person on the street would probably say bisexuality is defined as having relationships with both men and women, but really it is about being attracted sexually or romantically to more than one gender; to a person regardless of whether they are male, female, transgender or however they define themselves."

"There has been a lot of backlash against using the term 'bi' because some see it as limiting sexuality to two genders, or that it makes gendered attraction the defining aspect of a person's sexuality. For this reason, some people will refer to themselves as 'queer' rather than 'bisexual'; others feel that 'pansexual' or 'omnisexual' are terms that better express openness and inclusivity."

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"'Bicurious' is also widely used, particularly by women who are perhaps beginning to explore that side of themselves. We can argue about linguistics, but it all boils down to not being limited by gender in terms of who you fancy, fantasise about, have sex with and fall in love with."

A spectrum of attraction

Although some bisexuals may feel an equal level of attraction for all genders (or feel that gendered attraction is irrelevant) this is by no means always the case, as Libby explains:

"Often bisexuals are somewhere along The Kinsey Scale rather than at the exact midpoint between gay and straight. You might be attracted mainly to women but have occasional relationships with men or vice versa. It might also be that feelings for one gender may be more sexually driven, whereas they are more romantic for the other. It's something that happens for some people and I don't think we should shy away from it. It doesn't make you less worthy of identifying as bisexual."

Getty ImagesTony Garcia

Bisexuality is an inherent sexual identity – not 'confusion', 'denial' or 'a phase'

Although some bisexual women may be more attracted to one gender over another and their relationships and sexual encounters may reflect this, it does not mean they are confused as to whether they are gay or straight. Libby comments:

"Bisexuality can feel undermining for some people within both the straight and LBT communities because on some level it suggests that maybe you can make a choice between genders. And if you can make a choice then maybe you should make a choice. Obviously I completely reject that concept – bisexuals are born 'bi' and it is a separate sexual identity in itself, not a half-hearted attempt to be one thing or the other."

Libido and monogamy

Commenting on the way bisexual women are portrayed in film and television, The Bisexual Report states: 'In the UK bisexual women are generally more likely to be portrayed as promiscuous; as an object of concern with regards their capacity to break up relationships; and as behaving bisexually just to titillate heterosexual men.'

Libby agrees that female bisexuality is often depicted in a negative way or erased entirely as a legitimate sexual orientation:

"For bisexual women it's about getting society to stop viewing us as insatiable and oversexualised. As individuals we are as varied as everyone else; you'll get some who are keen to sleep with as many partners as possible, others who are celibate by choice or not, and others who are happily in an enduring monogamous relationship. All of this is backed up by research, as is the fact that women are more sexually fluid than men, perhaps because culturally it has become more acceptable for women to experiment with their sexual orientation. My advice to women coming out as bisexual is to explore, take your time and use whatever terminology sits best with you."

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